Wichita eagle., 1887-08-16
a, THE HIND00 WIFE.
HOW THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE
IS MADE TO RUN SMOOTH.


The Present Condition of the Hindos
Widow Not Heretofore Correctly Repre-.
sented-RuIe of the Mother-Piety and
the Bath-Cse of OIL.
One of my newspapers lately contained a
short article from The London Standard, en-
titled "Hindoo Child Marriage" 1t described
as pitiable the lifelong state Of the Hindoo
widow, who had never been more than
bride, her some years nominal husband hav-
ing died when she was little girl A Bengal
of Calcutta, university graduate, and
wealthy member of society, on reading it says
that it is strongly put, and moreover applies
to condition many years passed by; that
the Hindoo widow as "apart and accused,
her hair short or shaved wholly, in coarse
and often squalid garments, her instincts
starved into hamilton by constant lasts, a
silent, Stunned, stiff, disfgured object, and
often bideously bald, forbidden all hope OF
joy" has some foundation, but it is intensi-
fled, exaggerated, Of even her condition fifty
years ago.
She fasts frequently, at stated days. She
wears no colOrs, but that makes little differ
ence, as the present mode in Bengal dresses
every lady of respectable rank in white, ex-
lcept that Oh the edge of her two wrappings
there is narrow line, gold, pink, crimson,
ct the widows robe being only distinguished
by he absence of that outer line or thread Of
CO. r. She becomes interested in the children
III ind her in the house. She is often
fay orite, and she has a busy and useful place
in he Hindoo family.
THE MOTHERS RULE.
A sapent Brahman joined the conversation
barely by saying, "They have liberty" as
contrasted To the restrictions and the obedient
condition Of wifely women. So long, how
ever, as the sons mother lives the widow Is
subservient.. Sons stay at home, living with
the parents. Daughters thus leave their own
parents as soon as they are old enough to take
the position of wives, the matrimonial vows
and obligations having been made in child
hood.
The oldest mother in the household con-
tinues to be the highest social monarch in the
house-the despotic dictator, to whom all the
family conventionally pays ceremcniOus def
erence.
This Bengali gentleman, SO years old and
the father of six children, from the prompt
ings of happy experience gave glowing
eulogy upon the Hindoo social system. The
Hindoo pair, having been selected by adult
judgment, begin acquaintance as playmates,
grow into friends, ripen into lovers, and be-
come, as they were predestined, consorts. 1t
j. case in which the course OF true love
ru smooth, and he considers il a most TO
VI attic career. He tells me that the home
III of Hindoo women has little or nothing in
te ectual or scholarly, but that it is very
ricn in the affections. From early morning
all the time they are busy in supervision Of
the management Of the little ones and in pro-
vision for the comfort and the food of all
Pious duties and the baths, two never neg
lected items, occupy no insignificant portion
of the day. This mother, lady Of IS years,
faSts often because she is q widow; has
bathed twice day all her life and is in ex-
cellent health. The usual bath, whether in
stream or i'll the house, is merely pouring
of water over and over the body, mostly on
the shoulders. ANY other sort OF washing Of
the person they don't seem to consider "a
bath
OfLING THEIR BABIES.
Oil has fluent part in the oriental toilet.
Mothers are fond of oiling their babies COM
pletely from the little head to the little toe
and then washing them off, when the skin
comes out very clean and soft. This item I
have from a British widow and mother who
has been here from childhood She also tells
me that bath can be given without danger
of adding to n bad cold by first freely oiling
the sore chest, and that it may even remove
the soreness They generally use cocoarut oil
as being the oil of the country. Oil for the
forehead or a hot head is better cooler than
water. The water dries Immediately and
leaves the skin burning. But in case of either
a Sun heated or thought heated head if soft
oil ispoured on with the lavishness of cologne
or plain water, the scalp actually drinks it
up. is the experience of this country.
The northern nose often turns upward at
the use of cocoanut oil that is not fresh The
nose of the common people is less affected in
that way. IN truth there are scents worse
than stale cocoanut oil. From the universal
ointment using habits of the oriental toilet
comes the frequent reference to amounting in
the Bible, as of Aaron, the high priest; as also
Mary Magdalene's alabaster box Possibly
the supple hand joints of all the oriental
people have received their faculty of bending
backward from this universal use OF oils Oil
plays conspicuous part in Hindoo worship
Also the Christian Catholic church annually
b.esses its holy oils"
One after another custom strikes the
stranF"'- as primitive counterpart OF some
hing Winch has not disappeared from modern
traditions or which yet exists in the west, in
a modified or in the same old form. until at
off hand We say everything in moaern civili-
cation can be traced TO "the cradle land Of
arts and cIeeds. Anna Ballard, British
India Letter in Chicago News.